


Cozy

by chartreuseblueandyellow



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartreuseblueandyellow/pseuds/chartreuseblueandyellow
Summary: There was a pause and Mac, in a slightly hesitant voice said, “you can just… sleep in the bed with me… if you’re okay with it.”
Relationships: Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 69
Kudos: 305





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I LOVE the absolute classic of a trope of “oh no, there was only one bed!”  
> This isn’t exactly that but like the same concept applies and I loved writing this. I’ve written a similar kinda one with “comfort” but this has WAY less angst and a lot more fluff.  
> As always, I absolutely love hearing from you guys so please let me know what you think :)  
> Enjoy!

It was one in the morning and Riley was in her bed, still up. It wasn’t any life and death situation though, not in real life anyway.  
They had nothing on tomorrow so after she and Mac had arrived home and had their dinner, Mac had gone to get some sleep and she was currently playing call of duty.

Sudden noise, that she was sure didn’t come from the game, made her pause it and her senses went on high alert. It didn’t sound like Mac in the kitchen and there had been many occasions in the past where not-so-friendly people had broken in.  
Though her gut was telling her that wasn’t the case right now, it couldn’t hurt to be cautious.  
She picked up the baseball bat under her bed (Jack’s advice still stuck with her) and padded out the room in her pajama pants and singlet. 

A sudden scream made her jump and hold the bat higher, ready to strike, but recognising Mac’s voice, she realised he was probably having a nightmare.  
Running to his room, she opened the door and sure enough, Mac was thrashing around under the covers. She hastily dropped the bat and went to the side of his bed.

“Mac, hey it’s okay. I’m here, you’re safe.”

At the sound of her voice, his movements slowed down and at that she gently put a hand on his head and started stroking his hair.  
“It’s okay, I’ve got you Mac. I’ve got you.”

She sat on the side of his bed, continuing to stroke his hair and a few moments later, his eyes fluttered open and dazed, he looked around trying to get his bearings.

“Hey it’s okay Mac. You’re home, with me. We’re safe.”

His still slightly frightened eyes met hers but at her words he closed his eyes and, seeming to absorb her touch, let out a shaky sigh of relief. 

In the darkness, she whispered, “you want to talk about it?”  
Eyes still closed, he wordlessly shook his head.  
“Okay.”

Riley was slightly at a loss for what to do now. Should she stay? Should she go?  
She pondered it for a while, still stroking his hair, and after a few moments decided just to ask him.  
She whispered, “do you want me to stay?”

At that he slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. He stared at her silently for a few moments, contemplating it, and Riley just stayed still as he thought about it. Finally he spoke, his voice still raspy from sleep and from the nightmare.  
“I know it’s really selfish to ask you to stay but-”

She put her other hand on his arm.  
“Mac. _Of course_ it’s okay. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to.”

He gave her a small but genuine smile and, hand still on his head, she maneuvered herself so she sat stretched up on his bed, on top of the covers, and leaning against the headrest. 

Being this close to Mac was pushing up the feelings she was trying to hide from herself, but she had pushed them down before and could push them down again. Mac didn’t need that right now, so putting that in the back of her mind, she focused on him. 

They had been through so much together that they didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. A few moments passed however and the rumble of Mac’s voice broke the stillness.  
“You need to sleep too, Riles.”

“I’m okay. Just try to go back to sleep.”

There was a pause and Mac, in a slightly hesitant voice said, “you can just… sleep in the bed with me… if you’re okay with it.”

Riley couldn’t help but still completely at that suggestion.  
That was too dangerous for her.  
If she had no feelings for Mac, she probably would’ve agreed without giving it much thought but Riley knew that if she did it, there was a very high chance her feelings for him would deepen.  
She didn’t know if she could 1. deal with that but 2. hide it from him.

Saying all that however, she really wanted to. 

Mac nudging his head against her stilled hand brought her back from her thoughts and she started stroking his hair again while she thought of what to say.

Mac, clearly sensing her hesitation, spoke up again.  
“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I know it might be kind of awkward, but it’s just that… you seem to be one of the only things that keep my nightmares away. But it’s okay Riles. Really.”

She knew he genuinely would be okay if she chose to leave but how could she after he said that?  
She buried her feelings as much as she could and in hopes to not show Mac how much this was going to affect her, joked, “well, you’ve brought me all the way from my room and now I’m too tired to walk back. May as well just sleep here.”

She looked down to see his response and couldn’t help but smile as a grin came over his face.  
Getting under the covers, she tried not to let Mac’s enveloping body heat get to her. 

She always slept on her side but facing Mac in this intimate moment would be too much for her right now so she slept with her back facing him.  
After a pause, Mac shuffled forward and, on his side facing her, pressed his head against her back. She stilled again and he spoke in an even more hesitant voice.  
“Your uh… your body contact seems to keep my nightmares away… so uh… I hope you don’t mind if I uh-”

“Yeah it’s okay.”  
She was glad her back was turned to Mac right now because she had the biggest grin on her face. 

His voice slow and raspy, Riley knowing that to mean he was about to fall asleep, he whispered against her back, “g’night Riles.”

“Night Mac.”

Riley’s natural body clock woke her up around 6:30 but she was far too comfortable to get up so she snuggled deeper into the warmth of the body encircling her, tightened her arm around his waist and aimed to go back to sleep.  
Against Mac’s chest, she breathed in his scent which relaxed her more and-

Wait.

_What…?_

Her eyes flew open and frozen, she assessed her surroundings. At some point in the night she must’ve flipped over. She couldn’t see anything because her face was pressed right into the softness of Mac’s shirt, nestled just under his chin.  
He had one arm around her shoulder, resting on her back, and had thrown a leg over hers, both movements making it so he was holding her against him.  
His head was on top of hers and with every even breath he let out, she could feel it against her hair. 

Riley was trained for the most stressful of situations, but she had _no idea_ what to do now. 

She wanted to stay wrapped up in his arms forever, she felt peaceful and warm, not only on the outside, but her chest felt like it was glowing.

But that was the problem.

Living with Mac was already too hard in terms of managing her feelings but this would make it completely impossible.  
As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t stay here so she lifted her arm from around his waist and slowly tried to move herself out of his embrace.

Clearly her efforts weren’t as discrete as she wanted them to be because Mac, still mostly asleep, let out a small noise of annoyance and before she could do anything, he pulled her tighter against him.

 _God_. She loved being this close to him but she also just couldn’t do it otherwise she’d never want to leave his arms.  
Ignoring the voice in her head yelling at her to stay, she whispered in a strained voice.  
“Mac, I need to leave.”

Not responding, he sleepily nuzzled his face into the top of her head and _UGH_ her heart just exploded. Adorable, sleepy and cuddly Mac was too much for her feelings to handle.  
But she wondered if he even realised what he was doing. 

He was still practically asleep and had never done anything like this with her while he was awake and, a sinking feeling taking over her lightheartedness, Riley had to wonder: was he thinking she was Desi?  
They had broken up a while back but, unfortunately, that made more sense to Riley than him realising it was her. 

Now she really needed to get her distance and clear her head, so she whispered again.  
“Mac. I need to get up.”

He grunted in annoyance and, eyes still closed, whispered in a voice thick with sleep,  
“Riles, stop moving.”

She froze. He knew it was her!  
Not knowing her internal struggles of trying to quieten the butterflies raging in her stomach at the sound of his raspy, sleep filled whisper (a sound she never thought she’d hear, especially when pressed up against him) he continued.

“We can sleep in today and I’m far too cozy to get up. Go back to sleep.”  
And, nuzzling himself into her hair again and tightening his grip on her, he promptly fell back asleep. 

_God_. 

In terms of trying to control her feelings towards him, this was highly highly stressful, but she _could not_ help the giant grin she had on her face.  
In that moment, there was nothing that could wipe it off.

Riley knew she was strong, but definitely not strong enough to force herself out of Mac’s embrace, especially when he didn't want her to leave either. 

Giving into it, she put her arm back around his waist and, smiling as he sleepily gave a hum of approval at that action, Riley shut her eyes and in Mac’s embrace, let his steady breathing and heartbeat against her face lull her back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I’m sure most of you know I love doing an outside pov so I just had to write a second chapter with ppl’s reactions.  
> I’m sure I’m going to get the layout of Mac’s house wrong but, for the sake of this fic, let’s just ignore that.  
> Lemme know what you guys think, enjoy!

Desi had planned to sleep in (well, as late as her body would let her) but her plans for their day off was ruined by a call from Matty. Apparently crime didn’t take a rest when they did and a stolen control key was threatening to take the country down.  
Matty had also said that neither Mac nor Riley had picked up so after Desi got ready, and because their place was on the way for her, she decided to stop by. 

She pulled up around 8am and was surprised to see Bozer climbing up the stairs. At the sound of her vehicle, he turned around, surprised, and as she walked out Bozer called out to her.  
“Hey Desi, what are you doing here?”

“Matty called and said there’s an urgent case and can’t reach Mac or Riley. They’re on my way to the Phoenix so I thought I’d drop by.”

“Damn that sucks. I had planned to try and teach Mac some simple recipes while Riley fixed my laptop. Guess that's not gonna happen now.”

Desi knew Riley would be successful in fixing his laptop but she had much less hope in the outcome of the other task.  
Bozer unlocked the door with the key he still apparently had and, seeing no one in the kitchen or living room, they stopped outside Riley’s bedroom door which was first in the hallway.  
She knocked and Bozer called out to her but there was no reply. Desi was hesitant to barge into the room and disturb Riley but Bozer had no qualms about it and swung the door wide open. The only thing on the bed however was Riley’s open, but shut down, laptop. 

Bozer seemed surprised that Riley wasn’t there so Desi hypothesised where she might be instead.  
“Maybe Riley had a date yesterday and is staying the night somewhere else?”

Bozer gave a half laugh and shook his head and, seeming to know something she didn’t, said, “nah, she’s not.”  
Desi didn’t know why he was so sure Riley wasn’t out with someone but she trusted Bozer, a good friend of Riley’s, to know what was going on in her life so just shrugged, accepting it. 

They made their way down the hall to Mac’s room. Desi raised her hand to knock but Bozer, completely comfortable around Mac and in Mac’s house (which used to be his as well till quite recently), just charged in anyway but after a few steps, froze.  
A shit eating grin slowly spread over his face and confused at his reaction, Desi followed his gaze… and oh. 

Mac slept, with his back to the door, but there, tightly wrapped in his arms, slept Riley. 

On closer inspection, he had an arm and a leg around her and she in turn had her arm around his waist. She was tucked tightly under his chin and he slept with his head resting atop hers. 

She had had a faint suspicion that there were some feelings brewing between the two, though both tried to hide them, but Desi had not expected to walk into this.  
She turned to Bozer who, with a huge grin still on his face, whispered to her, “well, I’ll be damned.”

Desi smiled back, amused with what Mac and Riley’s reaction would be to each other when they woke up. Bozer whispered to her again.  
“Should we wake them up?”

“I hate to say it, but we have to. We do have that mission after all.”

Bozer sadly nodded and Desi opened her mouth, about to wake them, only to turn to Bozer as he whisper-screamed, “wait!”

She whispered back in the same tone.  
“What?”

Ignoring her, he pulled out his phone and took a few pictures of the two cuddled up. After admiring the photos, he looked back at her with a cheshire cat grin and whispered,  
“I’ve been wanting Mac to build me a fancy DIY beer dispenser, so this is perfect blackmail material to get him to do it.”  
Desi shook her head but grinned and Bozer continued.  
“Also, you have to admit, they’re very cute right now.”

She nodded, definitely agreeing with him, and after taking a few more photos, Bozer nodded at her.  
“Okay. You can wake them now.”

Finally raising her voice from a whisper, she called out, “Mac, Riley, wake up!”  
They didn’t move so she called out again, but the only effect that had was making Mac snuggle closer to Riley in his sleep then relax, and the both of them continued to sleep. 

Desi couldn’t help but grin because that was pretty damn cute but, also agreeing with Bozer, _so much_ blackmail material.  
She looked over at Bozer who was laughing as much as he could while trying not to make a noise.  
She met his eyes and laughingly whispered, “well that had the opposite effect of what I intended.”

He coughed, trying to cover his laughter, and whispered back, “don’t worry, I got this.”  
He turned to face the sleeping pair then turned back to her.  
“Disclaimer alert, this is going to be loud.”

She shook her head at the glee on his face and, turning back to face the bed, he screamed so loudly, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the neighbours heard him.

“ _WAKE UP!!!_ ”

Both Mac and Riley jolted up and, as Bozer doubled over with now very loud laughter, Desi was interested to note that Mac had automatically, given that he still seemed to be dazed with sleep so he probably didn’t even realise he was doing it, angled his body so his torso was between Riley and whoever had entered the room.  
Very interesting indeed.  
She saw Mac’s body relax as he realised who they were and at the same time, Riley put a hand on his shoulder and peeked out from behind him.

Bozer, through his laughter, said, “well, don’t the two of you look cozy!”  
And at his words, the pair seemed to come out of their sleep induced daze because both their eyes widened and, in a panic, Riley scrambled away from being pressed up against Mac’s back. Voice slightly rough from being asleep, she blurted out,  
“It’s not what it looks like!”

Desi couldn’t help but chuckle at how absolutely _panicked_ Riley looked. Mac seemed embarrassed at their current predicament and, scratching the back of his neck, tried to clarify, his voice also rough.  
“I had a nightmare and woke Riley up. She just ended up falling asleep here.”

That didn’t really explain why they had been cosied up together while they slept but, before she could tease them about that, Bozer spoke up, the mirth evident in his voice.  
“When we lived together and you had a nightmare, why didn’t you ever let me sleep in the bed with you Mac?”

Riley’s eyes widened even more though Mac, apparently done with Bozer’s laughter and her smirking, shook his head and mumbled, “fuck off.”  
Bozer only laughed harder.

Mac rolled his eyes and Desi was interested to hear slight annoyance in his tone as he asked, “why are you guys here?”

And Riley, seeming to compose herself more, asked, “yeah, what happened to our day off?”

“Crime never waits for us to rest.”

The teasing tone never left Bozer’s voice and Desi couldn’t help but feel slightly bad for Riley. Judging by her earlier shock, Riley herself didn’t know how to process the fact that she had fallen asleep cuddled up in Mac’s arms and their jarring wake up call as well as her and Bozer’s constant teasing probably didn’t help the mental turmoil she was sure the other woman had going on in her head. 

Cutting off Bozer from whatever he was about to say next, she spoke.  
“Matty called. There’s an urgent mission involving the government, possible missile attacks and a stolen control key. She couldn’t reach you two and asked me to drop by on my way.”

“I just came to teach Mac some recipes and get my laptop fixed.”

Their expressions grew serious as she spoke but at Bozer’s response Mac rolled his eyes and Riley shook her head.  
Mac turned his gaze back to her.  
“Okay. You guys can head out and we’ll be right behind you.”

Bozer, teasing glint in his eye, opened his mouth to say something but Desi nodded and tapped his shoulder.  
“C’mon, let’s go.”  
He looked at her with slightly puppy dog eyes, wanting to stay and have his fun with the pair, but she just raised an eyebrow and he followed her out.  
As she closed the door, the last thing she saw was Mac and Riley turning to each other, and only being able to see Riley’s face, she saw her give Mac a shy and slightly embarrassed smile. 

They walked a few steps down the hall and Bozer said to her, “man, I was having fun teasing them.”

She rolled her eyes.  
“Yeah I could tell. But speaking as someone who has been in a relationship with Mac, he doesn’t like confronting emotions front on.”  
Bozer nodded knowingly at that and she continued.  
“Whether they’re a thing right now or not, we both know that their relationship will last, but they need to work it out for themselves and not have us force them to confront their feelings. You’re best friends with both of them, surely you agree with that?”

Bozer stared at her for a few moments then laughed and shook his head.  
“You’re absolutely right Desi.”

She smirked.  
“I know.”

As they walked towards the door, Bozer glanced at her then back ahead and cleared his throat.  
“Hey, can I ask you something?”  
She felt like she knew what was going to be asked but nodded anyway. His voice went soft, in hopes not to hurt her feelings.  
“It doesn’t seem like you are, but you’re not jealous are you?”

She laughed and shook her head.  
“I appreciate your concern Bozer but I’m really not. Mac and I had our run and we ended things mutually when things fizzled out.”  
He smiled at her, sensing her genuineness, and she continued.  
“And anyway, Mac and Riley seem to work very well together and I'd like them to get together.”

Bozer grinned even wider and put an arm around her shoulder.  
“I knew you were a smart one Desi.”

She shook off his arm and rolled her eyes but internally, she admitted Bozer’s friendship was growing on her.  
They walked out the door and, before they separated towards their own vehicles, Bozer grinned and said, “man, I’d love to be a fly on the wall right now.”

Desi gave a half grin back. She was interested to see how Mac and Riley’s relationship would evolve from here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s been YEARS since I said I’d do another chapter (really sorry guys!!) but here she finally is!! I admit I got busy with other things and forgot about this fic, but reading lovely comments kicked my ass back into writing this.  
> It was pretty fun to write and I tried to make macriley’s relationship as realistic as it would be considering where they are rn with everything.  
> Lemme know what you guys think :)  
> Enjoy!

It had been one hell of a wake up call. 

Early in the morning, when he’d convinced Riley to stay in bed with him, he had assumed they'd wake up a few hours later and act slightly awkward but happy at how they had ended up (he originally never thought she'd feel the same way about him, but after last night it was hard not to get his hopes up). 

Mac definitely didn't remember pulling Riley against him in his sleep but when he had woken up and had heard the faint stress in her voice, he had acted calm, as if sleeping together was an ordinary thing for them (and, arguably more importantly, he hadn't wanted her to leave). His sleepiness had also seemed to lower his self control and, at that point being aware he was doing it, had pulled Riley back tight against him (something he probably would never have done fully alert, at least not without completely overthinking it).

Those blissful morning plans, however, had been dashed by Desi and Bozer’s interruption. While he was listening to the former's explanation about the urgent mission and the latter’s constant teasing, he couldn't help but feel the loss of Riley pressed up against his back as she had hurriedly scrambled away from him at realising they weren't alone. 

Mac sighed, realising they'd have no choice but to go in, but he knew he definitely couldn't act like nothing had happened with Riley. He wasn't going to say anything in front of the other two however.  
“Okay. You guys can head out and we’ll be right behind you.”

He held in a grin as, with a look and a tap to the shoulder, Desi made the reluctant Bozer follow her outside the room. That action meant that the teasing would stop for the time being, but it was also unsaid support from Desi for his and Riley’s relationship and, though his and Desi’s hadn’t gone the greatest, it meant a lot.  
With them gone, he turned to face Riley. She tucked her hair behind her ear and gave him a shy and slightly embarrassed smile, melting his heart.  
“Well… that was kind of awkward.”

He chuckled.  
"Yeah it was, wasn't it?" 

There was a slightly awkward pause, neither of them really sure if they should address how they had woken up but, at the sound of the front door closing, Riley seemed to decide and cleared her throat.  
"Well… we should probably get ready and catch up with them."

Mac felt both relieved that they weren’t going to talk about it, and slightly disappointed for the same reason, but he knew she was right so nodded.  
"Yeah. God forbid world war three be stopped without our help."

She chucked at his sarcasm and after getting out of bed (it suddenly felt much colder without her), she gave him another shy smile then left the room.  
Mac flopped back down onto his bed with a grin.  
Riley was truly _amazing_.  
She was bold, snarky, funny and just truly one of the best people he knew, and after last night and this morning, Mac suspected that there was a chance that she liked him.  
What were the odds? 

He lay there for a few minutes, grinning like a fool, but shaking himself out of it, he got out of bed and got ready. By the time he walked into the living room, Riley was ready, had the coffee going, and was about to make some toast. He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged.  
"Can't go saving the world on an empty stomach." 

He laughed, and walking closer, took over making toast for them while she poured the coffee into to-go cups.  
Mac realised this is what he loved most about Riley. Even though things had been slightly awkward between them just a few moments ago, they had such a solid relationship that they could still go about their daily routines normally.  
Scarfing down and finishing their toast as they got their go-bags from their rooms, they both walked out with it in one hand and their coffee in another, and as Mac got into the driver seat, Riley locked the front door then joined him. 

The first part of the ride was made in silence as they both got their morning caffeine but after that, Riley spoke up.  
"Boze looked way too excited this morning and I'm not sure if he's gonna shut up about it."

Mac laughed.  
"Yeah, I hope he's not too annoying, but I don't hold out much hope."  
Riley shook her head, knowing as well as he did that Bozer would definitely not let them forget. Mac really hoped that Bozer held back the teasing though. It would probably make Riley uncomfortable and he _definitely_ didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around him because, selfishly, he wouldn't be able to deal with her not being constantly around him. 

As they pulled into the carpark, Riley sighed.  
"Yeah, well I guess we'll see." 

Mac held the door open then followed Riley into the war room and was met by three sets of eyes. Bozer was grinning like a fool, Desi wasn't as obvious but had a knowing smile on her face and Matty… was Matty smirking?  
Surely they didn't tell Matty how they had found him and Riley. How would that conversation even go? He almost laughed imagining Bozer, Desi and Matty having a gossip session. 

Matty spoke up, the hint of a smirk completely gone (had he imagined it?) and her tone was normal.  
“I'm glad you sleepyheads decided to finally join us.” 

“Well, we weren't expecting the end of the world on our day off.”

To everyone else she probably looked fine but Mac could tell that, by her slightly rigid back, Riley was uncomfortable with everyone's knowing gazes on her.  
He saw it and stepped forward.  
"Catch us up."  
Matty nodded and, face and tone turning serious, started explaining. 

Because everyone's focus had been on them, Mac assumed that Riley would want some distance between them. Bozer still had a teasing glint in his eye so Mac went and stood next to Desi who smirked at him and he rolled his eyes but, thankfully, she turned back to focus on what Matty was saying and he followed suit.

It was the evening of the same day and after a rare mission that had gone (mostly) to plan, their flight home from Brazil took off. There had been more than a few moments with light teasing from Bozer and, while Desi didn't join in, she didn't discourage him and smirked along.  
Mac had simply rolled his eyes or ignored the teasing and Riley had done the same.  
During the day, there had been a slight awkwardness between them but, he was happy to realise, it wasn't because of how they'd slept, but because Desi and Bozer had walked in and the fact that they wouldn't let them forget that they knew.

Desi and Bozer were sitting together on one end of the plane while Riley pulled out her laptop on a seat on the opposite aisle and opposite end. He assumed she wanted a break from them but he hoped that same feeling wasn't directed at him as well.  
Walking over, he raised an eyebrow and, glad she smiled back at him, he sat down opposite her. 

If it were anyone else, Mac probably would've ignored the elephant in the room, but this was Riley. She was the only person he felt completely comfortable talking about work and personal life with and they had always had a strong bond, which had only been strengthened by their recent missions from the bomb in Germany to her coming with him to codex.  
The slight awkwardness wasn't _bad_ per se, but as cute as she was slightly shy, he needed his bold and snarky Riley back. They needed to talk things out in the relative privacy they had (he was taking comfort in the fact that, while Desi and Bozer could see them, they couldn't hear). 

"Well, Desi and Boze weren't exactly subtle about how they found us this morning were they?”

She laughed at him getting straight to the point then asked, "is it just me or is Matty in on it too?"

He threw his hands up.  
"Right? I thought the same!" and shaking his head, continued with a laugh, "like can you even imagine Bozer, Desi and Matty having a gossip session? How would that even go?" 

She laughed and at that, what slight tension there was left disappeared.  
Their relationship going back to feeling normal, Mac gave her an easy grin.  
"I know it was a pretty awkward wake up call today Riles."

A small smile coming across her face, she replied, "It was, but, knowing me, I would've been kinda awkward about it even if they hadn't barged in."

He chuckled at her honesty and admitted, "yeah, probably same." 

She chuckled as well and the sight warmed his heart. There was a pause and he didn’t know what prompted him to say it (maybe he just wanted her to know how much of an impact she had on him) he admitted, “seriously Riles, with all my nightmares and overthinking mind, it’s a real struggle to get quality sleep but, after you got into bed with me -” he could swear his cheeks were heating up, “- I had a solid night's sleep, the best I’ve had in who knows how long.”

She gave a small, soft smile at his admission and said, "yeah, usually I'll wake up a few times in the night but… sleeping with you -" she blushed slightly at that and he had to grin at the tables turning, "- I had a solid night of sleep."  
He grinned, glad he had the same effect on her that she had on him. 

Mac was glad the air was cleared between them and he knew she could feel it as well. Relaxing back into his seat and stretching out his legs so they rested against hers, he watched as she was doing something on her laptop.  
"What'cha doing?" 

"Catching up on Game of Thrones," and a teasing smile on her face, she asked, "wanna watch with?"  
He shook his head at her grin, she knew he didn't like it. He didn't have anything particular against the show but he'd tried watching it with her before, and even though he'd really wanted to like it so it could be a thing to do together, he didn't enjoy it, it just wasn't his thing. 

She shot him another grin before putting on her headphones and Mac could tell by her expressions the moment she was swept into the fantasy land.  
Pulling out his phone, he opened his sudoku app to pass time.

It was a few minutes later when his phone buzzed in his hand, and seeing who it was from, Mac looked up in surprise at Bozer who was making a visible effort not to look at him. Instead he was looking at Desi who was sitting next to Boze with an exasperated yet amused look.  
Confusion growing, he opened the text and as the image filled the screen, he sucked in a breath. He was glad Riley was sitting opposite him so she couldn't see the screen or Desi and Bozer snickering behind her. 

Bozer must've taken it this morning before he'd woken them up. The photo was mostly of his back, and Riley's face couldn't be seen because of the angle, but mostly because it was buried right into his chest. He was holding her quite snuggly against himself, with an arm and a leg around her, and she had a firm arm around his waist, both actions making it seem as if they were making sure the other didn't leave. Mac wasn't surprised to see a slight smile on his face as he slept, it really had been one of the best nights of sleep he'd had, not just the quality, but the company.

Not wanting to give Bozer any more teasing material however, he acted calm and relaxed back into his seat again. He could feel both Bozer and Desi’s gaze on him but he kept his on the sudoku game he had been working on before. His mind wasn’t on it though. It was on the photo, what a great night of sleep he’d had, and how he wanted it again. 

After landing, they had a (thankfully, quick) debriefing and got ready to head home. As he and Riley climbed into his car, Bozer passed them on the way to his own, and with a teasing grin on his face said, “have a good night guys!”

He and Riley just shook their heads and laughed.  
They were both pretty tired and so settled into a comfortable silence on the ride home with the radio filling the space. But, though it was very small, Mac also felt a slight tension.  
He knew that when they got home, they both wanted to go straight to bed and get some sleep but should they address the sleeping thing?  
After last night, his preferred method of falling asleep was now with Riley cuddled up right next to him and, if it was hers too, he definitely didn't want to miss out on that opportunity. 

Arriving, they walked in and, closing the door behind them, dropped their bags by the door, too exhausted to bother with unpacking them right now. There was a slight silence and Mac knew he had to take a chance so cleared his throat. Riley turned to face him.  
“After the day we've had, I really need a solid night's sleep.”

Mac knew that she knew what he was asking so was surprised to see a teasing smile on her face.  
"Are you inviting me into bed with you Mac?"  
He spluttered slightly, definitely not prepared for the almost sultry tone of her voice, and he could feel his cheeks heat up for the second time today. 

She only laughed at his response and, when he said nothing (because yes, that's exactly what he was asking, but not _that_ way), she nodded and spoke in a much more casual tone.  
"Yeah, lemme brush and change into pj's then I'll join you."  
And shooting him a grin, she walked out the room, leaving him standing there staring after her for longer than he cared to admit.  
A huge grin broke across his face.  
Her teasing meant that she wasn't feeling awkward about it and so hopes that this would become a common occurrence between them grew. 

He wasn't sure exactly what he and Riley were, but he wasn't worried. They didn't know how to define it yet, but they were both on the same page, and with Riley being one of the only constants in his life, he knew it wasn't going to change now. He was in no rush to put a label on what they had in this moment, she wasn't either, and they were both fine with that.

Finally moving from his spot, he brushed and changed into his usual pj's. He got under the covers just as she walked into the room and, pulling them back, shot her an easy smile. Returning it, she turned the light off and, climbing into the bed, pulled the covers over her.  
She sat upright for a pause before, like last night, turning and sleeping on her side with her back to him. 

Mac knew it was asking Riley too much to, not only sleep in his bed again, but cuddle up into him as well, but he couldn't help but be slightly disappointed that she faced away. He was debating if he should press his head against her back again, when a sigh broke the silence. The bed shook slightly as Riley turned around and he looked at her with an eyebrow raised. 

She huffed, though there was no real annoyance in it.  
"I'm probably just gonna end up turning around in my sleep again, may as well save myself the trouble now." 

Mac couldn't help the huge grin on his face, Riley's softening at his reaction, and not being able to contain his happiness, he said, "I was hoping you'd say that."

Before she could respond, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against himself. He smiled when she automatically nuzzled her face into his chest and he couldn't help his large grin and the warmth that filled him at her being comfortable enough with him to do so. It was also just too adorable.  
When she settled, Mac could feel her smile against his chest, and not being able to help his own, he closed his eyes, ready for the good night of sleep that Riley seemed to bring. 

"G'night Riles."

Her voice, already soft with sleep, rumbled against his chest.  
"Night Mac."

After some time, he felt Riley fall asleep and a few minutes after that, with a faint smile still on his face, he fell asleep too.


End file.
